Berlin, 6-9 September: 500 urban planners from around the world discussed energy

By Miriam Eisermann on 16 September 2009

Energie-Cités believes that the integration of energy issues by urban planners is of paramount importance. Planners are in charge of building cities and, as such, are best placed for protecting the climate and our energy future, although they are seldom aware of it.

By organising its congress on "Urban Technologies for Urban Sustainability: Climate Change and Energy Efficiency", the IFPH aimed to demonstrate that urban planning and energy could no longer be considered to be two distinct worlds.

Gérard Magnin, Energie-Cités’ Executive Officer, attended the meeting to debate this issue in early September as part of the partnership between Energie-Cités and urban planners, and the international urban planners’ association, ISOCARP, in particular.

In the past, urban planners only addressed energy issues as a way of organising “networks” , considered to be ‘’underground’’ infrastructures for supplying energy to the city or city district. Energy consumption, although largely influenced by town planning choices, both in terms of building construction and mobility, was given little or no consideration. The energy “technique” had to find its own adequate solutions!

In fact, energy specialists were in charge of technical facilities, such as gas and electricity networks, and sometimes heat or cooling networks, producing and distributing energy according to building needs. Energy use was of secondary importance, what mattered was that energy was there, readily available.

A new awareness, however, is emerging as is proved by the fact that:

• this congress of urban planners placed the relationship between urban planning and energy, and especially energy efficiency, on its agenda.
• energy specialists are taking a keener interest in the rational use of end-use energy.
• an association like Energie-Cités combines both dimensions - ‘’Energy’’ and ‘’City’’ - in its very denomination. Its 20th anniversary in 2010 will focus on the links betweend energy and quality of life.

As the post-Kyoto period undergoes preparations in Copenhagen, it is high time for urban planning and energy to learn to live together and become good bedfellows!

Presentations of conference speakers are available on the IFHP website, amongst which the one of Gérard Magnin (download PDF)

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